Ben Singh, Timothy Olds, Rachel Curtis, Dot Dumuid, Rosa Virgara, Amanda Watson, Kimberley Szeto, Edward O’Connor, Ty Ferguson, Emily Eglitis, Aaron Miatke, Catherine EM Simpson, Carol Maher. From Alternative to Mainstay: the overwhelming evidence supporting physical activity as a treatment for anxiety and depression.
There are thousands of research trials examining the impact of physical activity for treating anxiety, depression and/or stress. Our review included a total of 97 systematic review, comprising of 1039 trials and 128 119 participants.
Taken together, results clearly show that physical activity had moderate effects on depression, anxiety and psychological distress compared with usual care across all populations. The largest benefits were seen in people with depression, HIV and kidney disease, in pregnant and postpartum women, and in healthy individuals.
Higher intensity physical activity was associated with greater improvements in symptoms. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions diminished with longer duration interventions.
The size of these benefits was comparable to, and slightly larger than, the benefits of medications and psychotherapy. There is a very large rigorous body of scientific evidence showing that physical activity is effective for improving depression and anxiety. These benefits apply across a very wide range of populations.
While all physical activity modes are effective, higher intensity physical activity is associated with greater benefit. The findings from this umbrella review underscore the significant potential for physical activity to improve mental health outcomes and support the integration of physical activity interventions in mental health treatment.
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